Spot the Difference
by Indigo Ziona
Summary: Hermione wakes up to a perfect day, with a suspicious feeling that something's missing. Involves a Time-Turner, an odd dream, and Snape in green...


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Hello peeps of ff.n… This is a fairly bizarre little fic but I hope you like it.

Spot the Difference

Another day… and Hermione woke up, to two girls screaming maniacally.

"Alicia – Caroline – save it for later maybe?" she mumbled, blearily getting out of bed, and trying to remember the dream she'd had.

Alicia Black and Caroline Lupin were close as sisters, and rivalled the Weasley twins as pranksters. Hermione had to say, she envied them their daring, especially as they seemed to get it from their extensive knowledge of charms and potions. But then, Caroline's mother was their Potions teacher, so what could you expect?

"C'mon, Hermione," Alicia said. "It's nearly time for breakfast anyway. Get up."

Hermione went to rub the sleep out of her eyes, washing the cold water over her face. Something was bothering her. Something was a little different about today. 

She did remember that she'd apparently passed out in the library the day before – Ron joked that she could no longer take all that knowledge. She'd missed History of Magic, which had been a shame, but at least it was her least favourite subject. Try as she might, she still didn't find Professor Binns interesting.

She got dressed slowly, picking up her Time-Turner last of all. She was taking extra subjects again – and she was also a prefect. Although, learning from last time, she'd discovered that the Time-Turner was also a good means for getting extra sleep. If she was passing out in the library, she obviously needed it.

In the common room, Hermione greeted her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Together, they went down to breakfast, joking about things and discussing the day ahead.

"I've got to talk to McGonagall today," Harry said. "My parents are organising the next Marauder reunion, I want to see if I can go! Dad said he'd be sending me a letter about it this morning."

"It sounds really fun," Hermione said. "Alicia and Caroline act like Marauders themselves, don't they?"

"Yeah, them and my brothers," Ron said. 

"Actually," Harry whispered. "I think we can get them back for that prank they played yesterday. Did you know that Alicia likes Augustus Snape?"

"Does she?" Hermione's eyes widened. Then she smiled, teasingly, "His _Dad_ isn't bad looking either."

"I think Caroline has a crush on _me_," Ron commented, and both his friends chuckled.

"I think she just wants your money, Ron," Harry teased. "Being the son of the Minister of Magic _must_ count for something."

"Actually, I think you're right, Ron," Hermione said. "Caroline does like you. Did you see the way she looked at you out in Potions yesterday?"

Eventually they reached the Great Hall, where the owls were flying in with the morning's post.

"Is it me, or are there far too many people here?" Hermione murmured.

"There are _always _far too many people here," Harry laughed. They sat down, and Harry and Ron went through their vast pile of letters as Hermione opened one from her penpal in Beauxbatons. Alicia and Caroline also had letters, she noted, and Neville was reading a long one from his parents.

"Ah hah!" Harry yelled triumphantly. "Letter from Mum and Dad. Did you know," he added conversationally, "that my mum's sister completely denies that we exist? She's a Muggle."

"Weird," Ron said. "What's she like?"

"I've never met her," Harry replied, with a shrug. He looked back to his letters. "Oh – and there's one for both of you two."

Hermione opened the letter Harry handed her, and read it.

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Dear Hermione,

How are you? We hope you're well! As Harry's probably told you (hundreds of times), we're hosting the next Marauder Reunion next Saturday. Harry, Alicia, Caroline and the Pettigrew twins are all coming, and we wondered if you and Ron would like to come too. Send your reply back with the owl that sent this.

Love,

James and Lily.

"Oh great, Harry!" Hermione and Ron exclaimed at exactly the same time.

They had a lovely full English breakfast as they chatted excitedly about the weekend.

"Who've we got Defence with?" Ron suddenly asked, as they finished breakfast and began filing back. They had to have two teachers because Hogwarts was increasing in student population – they needed two teachers in every subject to keep the system going.

"Remus," Harry said, and they smiled. They weren't allowed to call him that in class, but he was such good friends with Harry's parents, calling him 'Professor Lupin' seemed silly.

"Actually, we haven't," Hermione said. "Transformation last night, remember?" She whispered her last comment, and they knew why. The other students did not know that he was a werewolf.

"Snape then," Ron said. "Your lover-boy, Hermione."

"He is _not_," Hermione laughed, but as they entered the classroom, she couldn't help but look twice at Professor Snape. He had neat silky black hair, and friendly eyes, and he always wore green. It suited him immensely.

"He's married," Harry whispered, teasingly.

"I know, and I'd be better off with Augustus."

"Don't tell Alicia…"

They settled down into the lesson, but Hermione was for some reason distracted.

Something was definitely… wrong.

It wasn't Professor Snape, who was an excellent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Despite being Head of Slytherin (and suitably cunning), he was always kind and this lesson was no exception. He'd smiled at them as they came in, and was currently giving Neville some pointers for his next essay. It wasn't Professor Lupin, because although she was worried about the transformation, his wife, Professor Leanne Lupin, would always make him Wolfsbane Potion and be checking up on him. Was it the Marauder Reunion? She liked all of the people going. Harry and Ron behaving differently? No, they were currently chuckling over Ron's latest letter from his brother Charlie, who worked for the Hagrid Dragon Foundation in Romania.

Everything was just right. But there was something – missing?

There had been that dream… 

~

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She'd been sitting in the library, going over the S.P.E.W leaflets she had just produced. She didn't think that she'd left anything out. She struggled to push that awful Potions lesson out of her mind; Professor Snape had been even more snide than usual. And the Defence teacher this year was truly awful.

Harry had got another letter that morning from Sirius and Remus. They were getting along fine, despite the drawbacks of being a werewolf and a convict. The food, they said, was disgusting, but they were surviving.

She'd been down to the kitchen earlier, collecting some information. The House Elves had pressed upon her to take some snacks, and she ended up taking some cookies, a sausage roll and a peanut butter sandwich. She hadn't eaten peanut butter in a long time. She wish she could give some of this food to Sirius and Remus, who were surviving on whatever they could scrape together.

Hermione looked at the clock. Oh great, she was going to be late for History of Magic – run! A speed spell – that would do it. All right, it was rule breaking, but she was late and she couldn't bear the thought of missing something she might be tested on later. As she cast the spell, the Time-Turner bounced on her chest and began to spin.

She found herself stumbling, colliding with a handsome boy around her age. She looked up.

"Hello… Where did you come from?"

"Uh – the library?"

He blinked at her, and shook his head. "I've never seen you before – are you visiting?"

She stared back at the stranger. She had never seen him before either. Then with sudden dread she realised – the spinning Time-Turner. She had no idea where she was. Or when.

"I'm – uh – new. From – uh – America. I'm a little lost."

"It's lunchtime," he said. "Well, lunch will be finished by now, but you still have another half hour until lessons."

"Oh… uh, in that case – I'd like to go to the library again, I'll do some reading."

"I'll come with you."

Just what she needed – interrogation. She'd hoped to hide behind a book whilst she figured out what to do. But she could only nod and hope not to arouse suspicion.

He guided her around the bookshelves, informing her of how to use the library to discover what she wanted. The system had changed little in whatever time it was, so Hermione didn't really listen, but she was grateful for the cover of ignorance. Eventually Hermione picked a copy of Hogwarts: A History_, hoping to find some clues._

"I've read that book. It's fascinating," the boy said.

"Yes, it – I'm sure it is." Hermione replied, as she randomly flicked through the pages.

"The history of the founding is the most interesting," the boy contributed.

She smiled, in spite of herself. "I'm really interested in the founding too. They were very interesting characters."

"Especially Salazar Slytherin!" He smiled.

"Yes – in a wicked sort of way," she smiled back.

They were interrupted by a low growl. The boy blushed. "Sorry – I missed lunch, Prefect duties."

"I get that all the time… I mean, I did, in my American school. Hey – do you want some sandwiches?"

She proffered the carefully foil-wrapped peanut butter sandwich. He tasted it. "I don't think I've ever tasted this."

"It's peanut butter," she said. There was a short silence, and Hermione tried to remember the instructions on the Time-Turner.

There was a returning spell! Of course! Just in case things went wrong.

"I'm just going to see if they have the book I need for Ancient Runes – I'll be back in a moment."

The boy nodded and he ate more of the sandwich.

She went behind a bookcase.

"Reversi," she whispered.

Years whizzed past at a frightful speed, making her dizzy. The library changed and aged as hundreds of students came in and out, and then at last she was in her time, seeing Professor McGonagall in midnight blue robes, and Professor Snape in green robes, not black, enter the room. She smiled wanly at them, and passed out.

~

"Miss Granger," said a soft voice. "I appreciate that you may know everything, but for the sake of this lesson, I'd like you to pretend that you actually have to learn something."

She looked up. Professor Snape had asked her a question, apparently, and she had been so lost in thought that she had missed it. He was giving her a wry grin, seemingly amused at her distraction.

"Sorry, sir," she said. "What was the question?"

She answered correctly, but whilst they were working, he approached her. "Are you all right, Hermione? Quite recovered from your faint in the library yesterday?"

"Yes, thank you, Professor Snape. I'm just – a little tired, that's all."

He nodded understandingly. 

The lesson had been quite amusing. Snape had rolled up his pristine sleeves to the elbow in order to pull a Kappa from a large tank on his desk, in order to demonstrate how they should _not_ be handled. He narrowly missed having the Kappa sink its fangs into his bare arms.

"You've got him wrapped around your finger," Ron laughed afterwards, as they walked to Hogsmeade. Professor McGonagall had given them special permission seeing as they would miss the Hogsmeade weekend, and being three sensible students, she felt they could be trusted to behave properly.

"What was that letter from Charlie?" she asked, curiously.

"Norwegian Ridgebacks!" Harry chuckled. "The dragon expert – Rubeus Hagrid – he got a new Norwegian Ridgeback. Guess what he called it?"

Hermione thought. It sounded familiar, somehow.

"Norman?"

"Norbert!" Harry pronounced, obviously tickled by this.

"Hagrid's great," Ron said. "I met him and his wife Myrtle once. He loves animals – the scarier the better. But he's a really nice person."

"I wish I could meet him," Harry said. Then suddenly he looked queasy. "Eurgh – I feel sick."

Hermione's face was a picture of concern, and she carefully placed her hand on his smooth forehead to see if he had a temperature.

Ron, however, looked sceptical.

"Something to do with stuffing yourself with chocolate frogs. Don't worry, Hermione, _his _brain's not going to overheat from too much knowledge. There's not enough in there."

Harry and Ron had a playful scuffle after that, Ron teasing that Harry's head was too full of Quidditch, and Harry challenging that _he _wasn't the one with the Chudley Cannons all over his bedroom walls.

"You've got the Montrose Magpies all over _your_ bedroom walls."

"Yes, but they're a _decent_ team."

"I happen to be loyal and not mindlessly following whoever's winning," Ron protested at Harry's provoking.

"You have to be pretty mindless to follow the Cannons," Harry countered, Hermione laughing and despairing at the same time.

Ron looked stumped. Then he said, "Well as much as I love the Cannons, my mind is concerned with greater worries. Your greatest worry in life is that Gryffindor won't thrash everyone else in the Cup as usual."

"Busted," Harry admitted. "It's the only thing worth worrying about."

"Honestly, you two," Hermione said.

Ron chuckled. "Remember his Boggart? The Quidditch Cup with Ravenclaw ribbons."

Hermione was reading her new book in the Gryffindor common room, and for some reason she couldn't get that strange dream out of her mind. Snape was teaching Potions – and Sirius was a convict? Her book was called _A Pictorial Account of Life at Hogwarts Over the Centuries. _As she reached one of the latter pages, she gasped. She recognised that boy – the boy from her dream.

"Professor McGonagall – I was wondering – could you help me? Who is that boy?"

She pointed to the serious looking boy in the photograph. McGonagall frowned wistfully.

"Oh – I remember him. He died very suddenly aged fifteen – anaphylactic shock."

"Who was he?"

"His name was Tom Riddle. It turned out he was very allergic to peanuts…"

~*~*~

I have a feeling people will either like that fic or think it was the most stupid thing they have ever read… I liked it though, so pah to the lot of you. :-)

(By the way, if you didn't understand that, read it again and look up 'anaphylactic' ;-) )


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